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Boy killed while 'surfing' on roof of moving subway train in Manhattan
Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 10.21.03

Posted on 10/21/2003 9:53:06 AM PDT by mhking

NEW YORK -- A 14-year-old boy who was "surfing" on the roof of a subway train was killed when his head struck an overhead beam and he fell to the tracks.

Eric Alvarez of Harlem was found dead on the tracks between two stations in lower Manhattan at about 4:45 p.m. Monday, said Detective Carolyn Chew.

While Alvarez was riding home from school, his friends dared him to climb to the top of the train, a practice known as "subway surfing," said Marisa Balde, a spokeswoman for New York City Transit.

He apparently had climbed the rear of a car and had reached the top when his head struck a steel beam in the ceiling of the subway tunnel, Balde said.

Another train ran over the tracks where Alvarez had fallen. Initially, it appeared that the second train killed him, but investigations showed that he probably died of head injuries and the impact of his fall, Balde said.

Alvarez was described as a computer whiz.

He "was extremely smart, too smart for that happened to him," an aunt, Haydee Alvarez, told the New York Post.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: darwinatwork; darwinawards; death; holdmuhbeer; holdmuhsurfboard; justdamn; splat; whatawaytogo
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To: RiflemanSharpe
Gavity it is not just a good idea, it is the law.

It's more an example of Newton's Third Law; specifically the equal and opposite forces exerted by the head and the beam on each other.

41 posted on 10/21/2003 11:57:23 AM PDT by ThinkDifferent
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To: mhking
Why do you post this stuff? What's the point?
42 posted on 10/21/2003 11:58:04 AM PDT by Codie
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To: Xenalyte
Ridin' the old Hellivator for evil thoughts, huh? I've done it too many times to count.
43 posted on 10/21/2003 12:00:13 PM PDT by cjshapi
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To: ThinkDifferent
Gavity it is not just a good idea, it is the law.
It's more an example of Newton's Third Law; specifically the equal and opposite forces exerted by the head and the beam on each other.


Although steel is somewhat pliable, which is what gives it its strengh. It will flex and bend before it breaks. The human head is different, it will just break.
44 posted on 10/21/2003 12:02:32 PM PDT by RiflemanSharpe (An American for a more socially and fiscally conservation America!)
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To: mhking
My seven-year-old knows that subway car "surfing" is a violation of the commandment, "thou shall not murder." Another government school related death, as far as I'm concerned.
45 posted on 10/21/2003 12:05:58 PM PDT by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: mhking
Look everyone! I'm Dennis Hopper!
46 posted on 10/21/2003 12:09:53 PM PDT by RightWingAtheist
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To: ffusco
every damn one of us.
47 posted on 10/21/2003 1:18:54 PM PDT by steve8714 (I know how to spell, I just have fat fingers.)
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To: steve8714
We all have our war stories. Like the time I raced my buddy on Carmen's Road, LI. I passed him on a blind in the passing lane. I was white as a ghost when I realized what I almost did.
48 posted on 10/21/2003 1:28:35 PM PDT by ffusco (Maecilius Fuscus,Governor of Longovicium , Manchester, England. 238-244 AD)
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To: VeritatisSplendor
I didn't do the shopping cart ledge races, but we planned the elevator surfing very carefully and took appropriate precautions.

The only time there was any danger was when a Campus Policeman took the elevator up to the top floor and stopped the elevator -- my friends were stuck facing a brick wall (if the elevator is stopped at floor N and you are on top you can get out at floor N+1 if there is a floor N+1). What the CP didn't realize is that there were also people surfing the adjacent elevator, who came up and rescued the miscreants he thought he had trapped. Of course, they had to leave the elevator with the CP in it stuck on the top floor (the "stop" button on the roof of the car overrides the "stop" button inside the car, and had to be set so that there was no danger of the cop making the elevator go down while people were crossing over to the next one).

49 posted on 10/21/2003 1:30:18 PM PDT by VeritatisSplendor
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To: capt. norm
From The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord
Copyright 1996-1997 by Peter Anspach

#81. If I am fighting with the hero atop a moving platform, have disarmed him, and am about to finish him off and he glances behind me and drops flat, I too will drop flat instead of quizzically turning around to find out what he saw.

50 posted on 10/21/2003 2:01:19 PM PDT by robertpaulsen
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To: mhking
Well, after the Marlins win it in 6, that'll be one less disgruntled Yankees fan.
51 posted on 10/21/2003 2:08:29 PM PDT by Living Free in NH (I'm Living Free in NH and I approved this post.)
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To: baseballfanjm
OK, I double-checked to be sure, and you're correct to the extent that kids under the age of 16 are not allowed full Darwin Award status.

http://www.darwinawards.com/rules/

Maturity

The candidate must be capable of sound judgment.

Humans are generally capable of sound judgment, except those with mental handicaps that render them unable to fully comprehend the ramifications of their actions.

A vociferous majority argues that children also fit into this category, citing the vast gulf between ignorance and stupidity. An equally clamorous minority contends that children are the best candidates for a rusty chromosome award, since they obviously have not reproduced. Some children have stated that restricting children from vying for this laudable award is yet another encroachment on their civil liberties.

I appreciate that parents are responsible for raising their offspring and teaching them to make responsible decisions. Therefore children under sixteen are not eligible to win a Darwin Award. However, a few have been included as nominees, when their actions can be considered foolhardy by even their young peers.

52 posted on 10/21/2003 2:15:45 PM PDT by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
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To: mhking
Irony of ironies...when I read the same article at AOL news, they ran a "Test Your IQ" ad right next to it.
53 posted on 10/21/2003 9:57:00 PM PDT by RightWingAtheist
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